Architect

Contractor

Facing brick

Processing

This project has provided a home for a couple and their guests in the middle of an impressive green environment. The distinguishing features of the house are two large pitched volumes that are in stark contrast with the surrounding level ground but perfectly offset against the tall trees.

These elements are connected by a lower volume with a flat roof. The materials used – brick, slate, aluminium and wood – were chosen so that the building would look like a whole and to give it a warm, inviting appearance. The big windows were designed to give the best possible view of the landscape from the inside and to give the house a strong identity on the outside.

The main intention of the design is to remain in harmony with the natural surroundings and show respect for the vegetation around the house. The pitched roofs and the materials used give a nod to the old farmhouse that used to stand on the site.

All the rooms except for one are on the ground floor in order to make sure that neither the height nor the volume of the building exceed those of its surroundings.

The black-red colour of the linea 3007 brick reflects the colours of the natural surroundings: the trees, the falling leaves and the soil. The subtly shaded veins in the facing bricks echo the structure of the tree trunks.

As a result of the slates being in the same earthy colour as the roof covering, the wall and the roof blend seamlessly together. This gives the building a very uniform and natural appearance that emphasises the strong harmony with the surroundings in particular.

The Hand-Madelinea 3007 bricks also form a strong link with the occupier's hand-made ceramic utensils and artefacts that can be found throughout the house.

In addition, the authentic character of this brick also makes reference to the materials from the original farmhouse.

The thinness of the bricks gives the façades a feeling of horizontality that is carried through to the volume of the whole building and contrasts beautifully with the verticality of the surrounding trees.